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pubbaṅgamā

pubbaṅgama

masc nom pl of pubbaṅgama (adj); fem nom sg of pubbaṅgama (adj); fem nom pl of pubbaṅgama (adj); nt nom pl of pubbaṅgama (adj); …

1. preceding (in); leading (in); first (in); as forerunner (of); lit. going before
2. forerunner; which precedes; lit. going before

Built from

• pubba — root · former, previous
  Cognate with Sanskrit pūrva and English 'fore'. Describes what comes first in sequence or position.
• ṅgama — stem · going, that goes
  From √gam 'to go', cognate with Latin venire and Germanic 'come'. The -a ending gives it adjectival force, describing motion or function.

Analysis. pubba (feminine of pubba, 'former, previous') + ṅgama (from √gam 'go'), literally 'going before' or 'that goes first'; used attributively for what precedes or leads in a sequence.

Etymology. pubba is cognate with Sanskrit pūrva 'former, eastern' (from Indo-European *per- 'forward, through', the source also of English 'fore' and Latin 'primus'); ṅgama derives from √gam 'to go', cognate with Latin venire and English 'come'. The compound reflects the spatial imagery of 'going forward in front of'.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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